Fertiliser availability and pricing have been a key point of discussion.
The cost for farmers has risen to three times the normal level, currently in the region of £700 per tonne. UK Flour Millers has participated in discussions with ministers about this issue and the potential impact on future supplies of bread wheat.
The situation is complicated because the UK’s only manufacturer of ammonium nitrate is suffering from very high gas prices and fluctuations in demand. Imported supplies are affected by sanction applied to imports from Russia and Belarus, both important providers to global markets.
These issues are also of broader interest in the UK’s food chains, and we are able to discuss them from a milling industry perspective and a monthly food and drink roundtable, which brings together businesses throughout the food chain with officials from DEFRA, BEIS and other government departments.
